The Flat Chat Wrap podcast covers a lot of ground this week, from the state-wide easing of covid restrictions in NSW (but not in Victoria) to a little local difficulty with window tinting.NSW’s “Freedom Day” gets a lot of attention, as you’d expect, and we address the issue of whether or not we still need to wear masks on common property.Jimmy compares figures with the UK that suggest, even with 80 percent of the population vaccinated, things could get a lot worse before they get better, if only in terms of infections and hospitalisations.Plus we chat about the dangers of frustrated gym junkies rushing back and picking up their workouts and weights at the same intensity as they worked at before they were locked down.LISTEN HEREWe discuss at some significant changes on the Flat Chat website, including the fact that we have finally acquired the flatchat.com.au web address – losing the annoying hyphen between the “flat” and the “chat” – and the new menus that make it easier for readers to find the topics in which they are most interested.We look at a newspaper story about a building engineer who’s just been awarded an Order of Australia but several of whose projects have attracted the unwelcome attention of Building Commissioner David Chandler.We look at an owner whose been ordered to remove the tinting on their windows – the only thing that makes their main bedroom habitable – because it looks different from the other apartments in their block.And the resident who’s fallen out with their owners corporation who have not only hit him with a series of petty Notices To Comply, but charged him an admin fee for doing so.All that and more in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap.TRANSCRIPT IN FULLJimmy 00:00It's Freedom Day in New South Wales (or, when you're listening to this, it will have been; yesterday).Sue 00:08I can't wait, because at the moment, it's tomorrow.Jimmy 00:11It's tomorrow, here in our little studio. You might be able to hear a storm brewing outside; I don't know if our filters will cut that out. If you hear gusting winds, that's what's happening. There's probably going to be a storm brewing in New South Wales, as well, if this loosening of restrictions creates an increase in COVID infections. We're going to be talking about that. We're going to be talking about big news in Flat Chat. We're going to be talking about a couple of issues in strata schemes, one of which has come up on the Flat Chat forum, and you've got some news about an investigation into an engineer?Sue 00:56Yes, that's right; an engineering firm.Jimmy 00:59We'd better get on with it. I'm Jimmy Thomson, I write the Flat Chat column for the Australian Financial Review.Sue 01:05And I'm Sue Williams and I write about property for Domain.Jimmy 01:08And this is the Flat Chat Wrap.[MUSIC]JimmyThe residents of New South Wales (or most of New South Wales), have been freed.Sue 01:29That's right.Jimmy 01:30So we can walk about outside without masks on; we can go to cafes and gyms and all sorts of things... Is it going to make a big difference?Sue 01:41Oh, let's hope not. I think the news was this morning, that first dose of the vaccination has hit 90% of people in New South Wales, so that's a lot. S
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Recorded by Jimmy Thomson & Sue Williams; Transcribed by Otter.ai.
Find out more about Sue Williams and Jimmy Thomson on their websites.
